CONTROLS Synonyms: 196 Similar and Opposite Words

controls 1 of 2

noun

plural of control

as in controllers

a mechanism for adjusting the operation of a device, machine, or system the controls for the player are well marked

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as in hands

the ability to direct the course of something after the tail fell off, the plane went out of the pilot's control firefighters keeping control of the blaze

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as in operations

the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something control of manufacturing operations was given to a new manager with fresh ideas

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as in powers

the right or means to command or control others teachers are responsible for the students under their control

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controls

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of control

as in regulates

to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) you must learn to control your temper

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as in contains

to gain emotional or mental control of he controlled himself only with the greatest difficulty in the face of his opponent's insulting remarks

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as in rules

to exercise authority or power over circumstances often control the choices we make in life

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as in operates

to look after and make decisions about during the period that she controlled the company it was highly profitable

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of controls

Noun

Gartner has predicted that more than 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by 2027 over escalating costs, unclear value or weak risk controls. — Janakiram Msv, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026 Work begins on JetZero’s first demonstrator This aircraft is intended to prove JetZero’s calculations on aerodynamics, structures, manufacturing, and flight controls. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026 Beijing maintains strict controls over religion, which has led to the rise of underground churches. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 5 July 2026 This plan covers up to nine devices and combines ad blocking, privacy protection, malware filtering, and parental controls into a single package. — Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 3 July 2026 Anthropic had objected to the government’s decision to impose export controls in a blog post announcing that the two systems had been disabled. — Josh Wingrove, Fortune, 27 June 2026 On Friday afternoon a small plane appeared to evade some of the world’s strictest aviation controls and slam into the tallest skyscraper in Beijing, the 109-story CITIC Tower that dominates the city’s skyline, killing the pilot and injuring 13 other people. — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 27 June 2026 It was not immediately known what caused the crash in a city with strict airspace controls, including a recent ban on drones. — ABC News, 27 June 2026 Anthropic rolled out a series of controls in August that allow customers to provision users, view analytics and set spending limits at the organization and individual level. — Ashley Capoot,kate Rooney, CNBC, 26 June 2026

Verb

Unlike conventional infrared systems that rely on bulky mechanical components to change focus, the new design controls light electronically at the level of individual microscopic pixels. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026 Government departments and businesses can keep using Amazon or Microsoft cloud infrastructure—but Valarian’s layer controls exactly what data leaves, who touches it, and when. — Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 13 July 2026 Iranian leaders have been defiant that Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz. — Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR, 13 July 2026 Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, a key power center in the country’s theocracy that controls its ballistic missile arsenal, sharply rejected America’s statement. — Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026 Argentina controls the ball well and presses hard, but everything in the attack goes through Lionel Messi. — Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 12 July 2026 Instead, the membrane itself controls the flow of medicine into the body, Mendelsohn added. — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 11 July 2026 When models become interchangeable inputs, pricing power moves to whoever controls the testing, the routing, and the compliance sign-off. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 History shows family successions, whether in North Korea or Syria, tend to happen through rigid authoritarian control, with the transfer of power underwritten by whoever controls the military. — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for controls

Noun

On match days, all aircraft operations, including drones, are prohibited within a radius of 3 nautical miles and up to 3,000 feet above ground level around the stadiums unless specifically authorized by air traffic controllers.

— Reuters, NBC news, 7 July 2026
Engineers are unsure of the condition of Swift’s thermal insulation, and ground controllers will take a cautious approach to determining where and when Link’s robotic arms can capture the satellite.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 6 July 2026

Definition of controllers

Noun

Imagine how that comes across to a president who wouldn’t admit to climate change if his putter melted in his hands or Mar-a-Lago became a swim-up hotel.

— Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
But while Erling Haaland and his band of striking Vikings have taken the 2026 World Cup by storm, Norwegian sports officials have been wringing their hands about the future of the nation’s sports model.

— Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of hands

Noun

Rodríguez Castro helps oversee GAESA, has a hand in its operations and acts as a liaison between the organization and his grandfather.

— Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Catalan Fire Service head of operations Eduard Martinez said the blaze had a perimeter of 25 miles and firefighters may not be able to bring it under control on Sunday, EFE said.

— Elena Becatoros, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026

Definition of operations

Noun

Canberra and Wellington are two of the South Pacific's biggest powers and have grown anxious about Beijing's attempts to vie for sway in the region.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
Rather than drawing regional powers into its orbit, the test will likely push them to deepen defense ties with one another to counter China's growing military might, according to analysts.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 8 July 2026

Definition of powers

Verb

The Federal Aviation Administration regulates the airspace, and drone owners are responsible for knowing and abiding by those restrictions.

— Kelly O'Donnell, NBC news, 5 July 2026
The Clean Air Act is the federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources and governs air pollution.

— Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 3 July 2026

Definition of regulates

Verb

Ify’s box contains a fake $100 bill, but Catherine decides to keep her box.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 July 2026
Their saliva contains a sugar molecule found in mammalian products that, when introduced to us through their bite, can trigger an allergy to red meat and sometimes dairy.

— Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 14 July 2026

Definition of contains

Verb

If the business rules live in tribal knowledge, AI surfaces the gaps.

— Sanjay Srivastava, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Pahira's death comes as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has made tightening commercial driver licensing rules a top priority following multiple fatal crashes involving non-domiciled CDL holders over the past two years.

— Elaine Mallon , James Cirrone , Bill Melugin, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026

Definition of rules

Verb

The local federation operates a number of programs directly and supports a wide range of education, cultural, religious and security initiatives meant to strengthen the Jewish community.

— Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 13 July 2026
Gran Grif operates in the country’s heartland, where dozens of houses were looted and burned and during a predawn assault in March in the town of Jean-Denis in the Lower Artibonite region.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026